Bloodstone (1988 film)

Last updated

Bloodstone
Bloodstone (1988 film) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Dwight H. Little
Written by Nico Mastorakis
Produced by Ashok Amritraj
Sunanda Murali Manohar
Starring Rajinikanth
Brett Stimely
Anna Nicholas
CinematographyEric Anderson
Edited byNico Mastorakis
Nancy Morrison
Music by Jerry Grant
Distributed byOmega Entertainment
Release date
  • October 7, 1988 (1988-10-07)
Running time
87 minutes
CountriesUnited States
India
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.5 million
Box office$5 million

Bloodstone is a 1988 action-adventure film produced by Ashok Amritraj and Sunanda Murali Manohar, directed by Dwight H. Little and written by Nico Mastorakis. Starring Rajinikanth, Brett Stimely and Anna Nicholas, the film was shot primarily in India. The story revolves around a mythical ruby called the "bloodstone".

Contents

The film was dubbed and released in Tamil as Vairavel. [1]

The film is notable for being Indian actor Rajinikanth's only foreign film. [2]

Plot

In 12th Century India, a huge ruby was bestowed with the power of good and the curse of evil by the spilt blood of Princess Lafla. In the 18th Century, the British stole it. In today's India, small-time crook Paul Lorre steals the stone back. While attempting delivery to international fence Ludwig Van Hoeven, he realizes the authorities are onto him and slips the priceless gem into the baggage of the unsuspecting Sandy and Stephanie McVey. Lorre manages to indicate the taxi driver Shyam Sabu to Van Hoeven's thugs. Sabu realizes that he is being followed, but he does not see the huge ruby fall into a crevice inside his trunk while dropping Sandy and Stephanie at their hotel. Soon Sandy and Sabu are both in action; Sandy in a brutal fight with two thieves ransacking his room and Sabu in a life-or-death car chase and shootout.

Stephanie gets kidnapped by Van Hoeven's thugs. Van Hoeven contacts Sandy and proposes Stephanie in exchange for the gem at the waterfalls on the road to Bangalore. Without the ruby, Sandy has no option but the police, but Sabu produces the stone, igniting a vicious fight between the two equally matched men, ending in a second agreement. Sandy will pay well, but the ruby is his to exchange for Stephanie's life. They prepare for a conflict while Sabu lets his Indian friends know that their help may be needed. At every corner, the bungling Ramesh is attempting to keep up with the furious pace, always managing somehow to fail. Sandy and Sabu are ambushed while exiting the rain forests but survive the shootout and capture two of Van Hoeven's men, learning of the lone secret passage before tossing Misba is super them over the waterfalls.

Van Hoeven is giving a festive, lavish party. But Sandy and Sabu have penetrated the palace with plans of their own, when they... drop unexpectedly. The ruby proves to be a fake and they are moments from execution when Sabu's friends storm the fortress and a bloody mêlée ensues. Sandy, Stephanie and Sabu escape directly into the gun barrels of Ramesh's men. They are clean, Van Hoeven and Misba is arrested and Inspector Ramesh is a hero... but the Bloodstone is still missing.

Cast

Production

The film was mainly shot in Bangalore. [3] According to an interview with director Dwight Little, the film's producer, Nico Mastorakis, was set to direct the film himself. For reasons unknown, Mastorakis couldn't go to India himself, so he started looking around for a non-union director who had experience with action. Because Little had just made the action film Getting Even , he was hired. Little explained he had a thirty-five day schedule, but was still filming at day seventy-eight. Because Mastorakis had insufficient budget to hire SAG-actors, Brett Stimely and Anna Nicholas were hired. "You can’t really have non-union actors play the lead in a movie like this. It’s asking too much", explained Little. He added that he thought Rajinikanth was "amazing". [4] Rajinikanth was not fluent in English at the time of casting, and took training for a week from a tutor from the American Consulate. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajinikanth</span> Indian actor (born 1950)

Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. He is widely regarded to be one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema. Known for his uniquely styled mannerism and one liners in films, he has a huge fan base and a cult following. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Bhushan in 2000, Padma Vibhushan in 2016, India's third and second highest civilian honours, and the highest award in the field of cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the 67th National Film Awards ceremony (2019) for his contributions to Indian cinema. He has won numerous film awards including seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award, one Filmfare Award and two Maharashtra State Film Awards.

Dwight Hubbard Little is an American film and television director, known for directing the films Marked for Death, Rapid Fire, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Murder at 1600 and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series such as 24, Prison Break, Dollhouse, Bones and Nikita. Little was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied film at USC.

<i>Maximum Risk</i> 1996 American film

Maximum Risk is a 1996 American action thriller film directed by Hong Kong director Ringo Lam in his American directorial debut, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Natasha Henstridge. The plot follows French police detective Alain Moreau as he becomes entangled in an international conspiracy encompassing Russian gangsters and corrupt American officials, with various parties after his life because of his uncanny resemblance to a dead mob informant. His only ally appears to be his doppelganger's girlfriend, Alex Bartlett (Henstridge).

<i>Don</i> (1978 film) 1978 Indian film directed by Chandra Barot

Don is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Chandra Barot from a story written by Salim–Javed and produced by Nariman Irani. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan in dual role, alongside Zeenat Aman, Pran, Iftekhar, Om Shivpuri and Satyen Kappu in supporting roles. The music was composed by Kalyanji–Anandji with lyrics written by Anjaan and Indeevar.

<i>Pokkiri Raja</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by S. P. Muthuraman

Pokkiri Raja is a 1982 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by Panchu Arunachalam. A remake of the Telugu film Chuttalunnaru Jagratha (1980), it stars Rajinikanth, Sridevi and Radhika. The film revolves around a man who was framed for murder, and a lookalike who aids him in finding the true killers. It was released on 14 January 1982 and became a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.

<i>Enthiran</i> 2010 Indian film directed by S. Shankar

Enthiran (transl. Robot) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language epic science fiction action film co-written and directed by S. Shankar. It is the first installment in the Enthiran film series. The film stars Rajinikanth in the main dual lead role as a scientist and the robot he created. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa, Santhanam and Karunas play supporting roles. The soundtrack album and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman while the dialogues, cinematography, editing and art direction were handled by Madhan Karky, R. Rathnavelu, Anthony and Sabu Cyril respectively. The story revolves around the struggle of a scientist named Vaseegaran to control his sophisticated android robot named Chitti, after Chitti's software is upgraded to give it the ability to comprehend and exhibit human emotions and to commission it to the Indian Army. The project backfires when Chitti falls in love with Vaseegaran's girlfriend Sana, and is manipulated by Vaseegaran's mentor Bohra into becoming homicidal.

<i>Murattu Kaalai</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by S. P. Muthuraman

Murattu Kaalai is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by S. P. Muthuraman, and written by Panchu Arunachalam. The film stars Rajinikanth, Rati Agnihotri, Sumalatha and Jaishankar. It revolves around Kaalaiyan, an honourable villager who, despite being wealthy, chooses to live modestly while Sundaravelu, a less honourable man from the neighbouring village, tries to grab Kaalaiyan's land.

The Little Rock Film Festival (LRFF) was an annual film festival held in Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas each spring. Based in the historic River Market District, home to the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library, the Little Rock Film Festival has showcased the best in Narrative, Documentary, and Short films from around the World. It hosts parties, panels, workshops, and youth programs for aspiring filmmakers. The LRFF devotes screenings and programs specifically for Southern and Arkansas films. In 2010, citing prize money, distribution opportunity, and a chance to be a part of a large event, MovieMaker Magazine included the Little Rock Film Festival on its annual list of The Top 25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.

<i>Kotigobba</i> 2001 film directed by Naganna

Kotigobba is a 2001 Indian Kannada-language action film starring Vishnuvardhan, Priyanka Upendra and Ashish Vidyarthi. The film was a remake of Rajinikanth's 1995 Tamil film Baashha. This movie was directed by Naganna and features soundtrack from Deva who also composed the music for the Tamil version. Vishnuvardhan was nominated for Filmfare Best Actor category.

<i>Lingaa</i> 2014 film by K. S. Ravikumar

Lingaa is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar and produced by Rockline Venkatesh under Rockline Entertainments. It stars Rajinikanth, Anushka Shetty, Sonakshi Sinha and Jagapathi Babu, while Santhanam and Karunakaran play supporting roles. The music was composed by A. R. Rahman, while cinematography and editing were handled by R. Rathnavelu and Samjith Mohammed. In the film, Lingaa, a petty thief, arrives at Solaiyur to save the village's dam and temple, which was built by his grandfather Raja Lingeswaran.

<i>Kabali</i> 2016 film directed by Pa. Ranjith

Kabali is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Pa. Ranjith and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu under V Creations. The film stars Rajinikanth, alongside Winston Chao, Radhika Apte, Sai Dhanshika, Kishore, Dinesh Ravi, Kalaiyarasan, John Vijay, Rosyam Nor, Nassar and Mime Gopi. In the film, Kabali, an aged gangster released from prison, sets out to exact revenge on his rivals while searching for his wife Kumudhavalli and daughter Yogitha who were presumed dead.

<i>Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo</i> 2016 film by Gautham Menon

Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. It was produced by Miryala Ravinder Reddy, under Dwaraka Creations. The film stars Naga Chaitanya and Manjima Mohan.

<i>2.0</i> (film) 2018 Indian sci-fi action film by Shankar

2.0 is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language 3D science-fantasy action film directed by S. Shankar who co-wrote the film with B. Jeyamohan and Madhan Karky. Produced by Subaskaran under the banner of Lyca Productions. As the second instalment in the Enthiran film series, 2.0 is a standalone sequel to Enthiran (2010), featuring Rajinikanth in a triple role as Vaseegaran, Chitti the Robot and Kutti, alongside Akshay Kumar as Pakshi Rajan and Amy Jackson as Nila, Sudhanshu Pandey, Adil Hussain, Kalabhavan Shajohn, and K. Ganesh appear in supporting roles. The soundtrack is composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics written by Madhan Karky and Na. Muthukumar. The film follows the conflict between Chitti, the once dismantled humanoid robot, and Pakshi Rajan, a vengeful avian human, who seeks vengeance upon cell phone users to prevent the death of birds due to cellphone radiation.

<i>Bhaskar Oru Rascal</i> 2017 film by Siddique

Bhaskar Oru Rascal is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Siddique. A remake of his own Malayalam film Bhaskar the Rascal (2015), the film stars Arvind Swamy, Amala Paul, Master Raghavan, and Baby Nainika, while Nikesha Patel, Aftab Shivdasani, Soori, and Nassar play supporting roles. The team began production in February 2017. This marks Bollywood actor Aftab Shivdasani's Tamil cinema debut.

<i>Petta</i> (film) 2019 film directed by Karthik Subbaraj

Petta ( transl. Hood) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures. The film stars Rajinikanth, alongside Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, M. Sasikumar, Simran, Trisha, Megha Akash, Malavika Mohanan, Mahendran, Bobby Simha, Guru Somasundaram, Aadukalam Naren, Munishkanth and Sananth. It follows Kaali, a newly-hired hostel warden, who gets dragged into war after his old nemesis Singaaram resurfaces to exact revenge.

<i>Annaatthe</i> 2021 film directed by Siva

Annaatthe is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Siva and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures. The film stars Rajinikanth in the titular role, alongside Khushbu, Meena, Nayanthara, and Keerthy Suresh, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Soori, Pandiarajan, Sathyan and Sathish. D. Imman composed the film's music, Vetri handled the cinematography, Dhilip Subbarayan arranged stunts and Ruben edited the film. The movie's plot revolves around Kaalaiyan, a sarpanch in Thanjavur, who strives to protect his sister from a businessman and his elder brother.

<i>Jailer</i> (2023 Tamil film) Film by Nelson Dilipkumar

Jailer is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures. The film stars Rajinikanth in the lead role, alongside Vinayakan, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah Bhatia, Vasanth Ravi, Mirnaa Menon, Yogi Babu and Sunil in supporting roles. Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar and Jackie Shroff play guest appearances. It revolves around "Tiger" Muthuvel Pandian, a retired jailer, seeking to apprehend an eccentric idol smuggler Varman.

<i>Bhola Shankar</i> 2023 film by Meher Ramesh

Bhola Shankar is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Meher Ramesh. It stars Chiranjeevi in the title role with Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth. It is an official remake of the 2015 Tamil film Vedalam.

References

  1. ↑ "Vairavel (BloodStone) || Rajinikanth, Brett Stimely, Anna Nicholas || FULL MOVIE || Tamil Dubbed". YouTube . January 16, 2022.
  2. ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish (2003). "The 'Bollywoodization' of the Indian Cinema: Cultural Nationalism in a Global Arena" . Inter-Asia Cultural Studies. 4 (1): 25–39. doi:10.1080/1464937032000060195. ISSN   1464-9373. S2CID   144764499. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Rajanikant: His name spells box-office magic in the south". India Today . July 31, 1988. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Dwight Little interview". The Flashback Files. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Shoba, V (December 18, 2014). "The Enduring Legend of Rajini". Open . Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.